Levelers for enclosed appliances



P 1 1960 A. J. MATTER 2,932,122

LEVELERS FOR ENCLOSED APPLIANCES Filed NOV. 6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 12, 1960 A. J. MATTER 2,932,122

LEVELERS FOR ENCLOSED APPLIANCES Filed Nov. 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 12, 196 0 A. J. MATTER 2,932,122

' LEVELERS FOR ENCLOSED APPLIANCES Filed Nov. 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 sk 3 u 69 P11 '3 L IIIHI IIIII 24 United States Patwt This invention relates to improvementsin levelers for enclosed appliances and has .for its object to provide such means enclosed within the cabinet or casing of appliancessuch' as automatic washing machines, driers, ranges or other enclosed appliances, and adjustable throughsmall apertures in the front wall of said cabinet or casing by means of a screw driver or key. 7 'i' Another object is to. provide devices for this purpose, readily'attachable to frame members of such appliances or cabinets thereof and ofrelatively inexpensive construction. V

.' Another object is to provide a plurality of supports or adjuster may be attached and 2 is a portion of the front panel or wall of the appliance or cabinet provided with a hole 3. 4 indicates a floor surface. A bracket is shown attached to support 1, as by means of screws or rivets (not shown) through orifices 5a. As an alternate means of attaching to a vertically disposed support 1, holes may be provided as at 5b. Bracket 5 is also provided with holes at 50 for the reception of a vertically for such appliances and cabinets, two of which areadjustablefrom without, to level thedevice front to back and side to side, and one or more of which automatically adjusts to provide four point support and eliminate wob ble of the said appliance or cabinet. attain these objects by means of the devices shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of one of the front supports, adjustable by means of a screw driver. v

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partially in cross section on the line H of Fig; l, and includes a section through part of the cabinet front or casing. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the vertical stem.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified form of stem hav-' ing a separate cam-piece. V

' Fig. 5 is a plan view of the stem and cam-piece shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows the outline of an appliance cabinet or casing with two front manually operable adjusters, one

rear automatic adjuster, and one rear non-adjustable support, all in plan view.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the said automatic adjuster.

Fig. 8 shows a front view of the said automatic adjuster seen in the direction of the arrow VIII in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the said automatic adjuster.

Fig. 10 shows an elevation of a modified form of manually operable adjuster.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 shows a side elevation of another modified form of manually operable adjuster having a cam surface at the top of the stem. Fig. 13 is a rear elevation of the same.

Fig. 14 illustrates another modification type adjuster, shown in side elevation. Fig. 15 is a side elevation of a modified form of adjuster in which pivotally mounted cam is manually adjustable against the top of a vertical stem.

Fig. 16 shows a front elevation of the device illustrated in Fig. 15. V Fig. 17 is a plan view of the spring shown in Fig. 2. Except in Fig. 6, the drawings are approximately full size. Like numerals of reference indicate similarparts throughout the several views. a I -Referring to Figs, 1, 2 and 3, 1 indicates a supporting of top cam adjustable stem shown at 6. Stem 6 as shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3 is provided with integral cam lugs 6a and foot disc 6b, which latter may be provided with a rubber shoe 7. A modified form of stem 6 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein the cam lugs 6a are part of a separate stamping of U-form, is used as shown at 60. Stem 6 is also provided with a hole 6d for the reception of spring ends. Stem 6 is slideably held in holes 50 of bracket 5.

Bracket 5 is provided with a downwardly extending projection 5d to serve as a guide for sliding cam 9 which is U-shaped with cam edges 9a on "the two legs 9c and is provided with a hole 9b for the reception of a screw 10 upon which is mounted a square nut 11 and a square fiber washer 12. The hole in fiber washer 12 is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the screw 10 to provide a braking effect upon the screw to keep it from turning under vibration. A spring 13 has inturned ends 13a as shown in Fig. 17, adapted to enter stem hole 6d and exerts upward pressure to lift the stem and hold the parts in assembly, the lower end of the spring resting the stem from dropping out of the bracket.

In assembly, as shown in Fig. 2, the legs 9c of sliding cam 9 are spaced to slide freely on 2 sides of stem 6 and bracket guide projection 5d. When installed in an enclosed appliance such as an automatic washing machine or range, screw 10 is located in co-axial alignment with hole 3 in casing 2 and maintains this relative position.

In operation a screw driver end is inserted through hole 3 to engage the screw slot. Turning the screw clockwise into nut 11 causes the nut to travel outward and away from the stem and thus forces the sliding cam in the same direction so that it in turn forces the stem downward. When the stem (or its rubber shoe when used) rests on fioor 4, this adjustment raises the appliance or cabinet at this point. To lower the appliance the screw 10 is turned counter-clockwise.

For the purpose of simplified description the entire unit shown in Fig. 1 is now referred to as unit A and is so indicated in Fig. 6. Din Fig. 6 indicates the outline of an appliance cabinet in which 2 in Figs. 2 and 6 indicates the front wall thereof. In the preferred assembly two units A are attached at the front corners of the appliance as shown in Fig. 6 and at B is indicated an automatic adjuster and at C a plain non-adjustable foot may be used. .A simple example of an automatic unit B is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 and comprises a foot-member 14 of U-shape having upturned sides 14a which terminate in out-turned slideways 14b having upper stopprojections 140. Lower stop-projections are also provided at 14d. A housing 15, provided with holes 15a for attachment by means of screws or rivets to a supporting member of an appliance has downwardly extending sides 15b which terminate in grooved side extensions,

*ISc adapted to slideably engage slideways 141;. A spring which cam lugs are omitted on stem 6 whichis made Patented Apr. 12, 1960 of stem-6'. A screw; 18 passes freely through a hole 17b provided incam 1-7: and, is threaded into'stem- 6- atz6f.

A spring 13 engageslrol e 6d in stem 6 and urges said stem upwardly; Vertical adjustment of stem 6 is accomplished by rotation of screw 18. p j

A Figs. 12 and 13 another modifiedform of unit'A is shown wherein the, cam action is upon the upper end of stem-6 which is beveled as shown at 6g in-Figdfland shown dotted in Figs. 12 and 13. Stem 6 slideably; mounted for vertical adjustment in bracket. whichis provided with mountingholes-19a for attachment to supporting member li which is a part'of an appliance; The upper lcg I?!) of the U-shaped bracket serves as a slideway for a can'ymember Ztlhavingan angular cam surface a and inturned flanges 29b whichslide under slidewaiy 19b. At the-front of cam-member 20 is provided a downwardly bent portion 26;, perforated to freely receivea screw 10 upon which a friction washer 12. and square nut l l are mounted. The inner end of the screw contacts stem 6. To prevent said nut turning aretaining lug 20a! is bent inwardly from portion 20a A spring l3 engages hole 6d in stem 6 to hold the stemup against cam surface ltla. Adjustment of the stem is accomplished by turning screw 10'. t e Fig. 14 illustrates another modification inwhich an S- shaped bracket 24 slideablycarries a stem 6 in perforations 24kz. Stem 6 has a beveled upper camend 6g against which the cam surface 25a of cam 25 bears. Bracket24 has a horizontal bearing surface 24b which slideably supports upwardlthrust oficam 25'. To operate the cam for vertical adjustment of the stem a screw 10 is rotatably mounted holes 240 and 251) provided in bracketvzdi and cam 25- r espectively. A. square fiber braking washer 11 andv square nut 11 are mounted on the screw as shown. Vertical adjustment of thestem 6 isaccomplishedby turning screw 10. Stem 6 is held upwardly against cam 25 by a spring 13 having inturned ends engaging stem holes 6d.

Another method of'adjusting a vertical stem by means r acarn is shown in Figs. 15 and 16 in which a stem 6 has a. rounded top cam end 612 and is slideably mounted ins bracket 21 having. mounting holes 21a for attachmerit to support member 1a. A U-shapedcam 2 Z is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin 23 against the under side of bracket 21 and has a curved cam surface 22a which bears on the rounded end 6/1 of stem 6. To operate the cam for vertical adjustment of; the stem a screw 10is freely held in an opening 225 of cam cross portion 220 and is provided with a square nut 11 and bears against stem 6. A' spring 13 with inturned ends 13a engaging holes 6d in stem 6 forces the stern upward against cam surface 22a.

The present practice of many manufacturers of enclosed appliances, such as Washing machines, driers and cooking ranges is to provide four threaded foot stems vertically held in corner brackets of the appliance and provided with nuts and lock-nuts for vertical adjustment. This necessitates turning the appliance on its side in order to adjust the foot stems to suit irregularities in the floor and to level the upper surface of the appliance. This is particularly objectionable when the appliance is installed in a recess as it then is necessary to remove the appliance several times for re-adjusting by approximation. This requires the services of at least two men and the appliance is rarely exactly supported at all four corners.

To overcome this difiiculty I have devised a combination of units designatedas A, B, and C which provide simple means of adjustment for leveling with a screw driver or key through small openings in the front wall of an appliance. Unit C is onethat-requires no adjust- The loweredgesof cant- 17 rest on surface-6eassa lant ment at the time of leveling. This also provides minute automatic adjustment after leveling so that the load is carried on all four feet, thus preventing wobble and reducing vibration.

Referring to Fig. 6 which shows a suggested arrangement of the several units, the procedure for installation of an appliance equipped with these units is as follows:

Front adjusting units A have the foot-stems adjusted upwardly to their limit, which can be done during assembly at the factory. In this position of the front feet the appliance is tilted slightly downward at the front.

The appliance D is now slid backwardly into its intended location causing the automatic unit B to adjust upwardly.

'Unit A opposite unit C is next adjusted to level the appliance from front to back, using a screw driver or key through the small aperture in the front of the appliance casing to turn the adjusting screw.

To level the appliance from left to right, unit A opposite unit B is next adjusted in the samemanner. 'If' the centerof gravity is toward the unit B slight downward pressure may be applied on the corner diagonally opposite unit Bso as to provide three point bearing on units'A and C, which will permit unit B to automatically adjust downwardly to the floor and thus provide four point bearing. This automatic adjustment and solidity of support thereafter is due'to the fact that the top of foot member I4 slopes at a small angle to the horizontal, as do the surfaces on the housing 15 that cooperate therewith; the component of a downward thrust on the housing parallel to such surfaces being insufiicient to cause relative move ment between the housing and the foot member. In the absence of a spring the slope should usually be not more and preferably less than 15. The spring adds its resistance to the frictional resistance in preventing relative movement of thefoot member from the full line position inFig. 9 to the broken line position; and, therefore, theadditi on of a spring permits the use of a somewhat steeper slope, depending on the strength of the spring. When the appliance is'slid into position unit B adjusts itself to some position between the two extreme positions, for the reason that the friction of the foot member on the floor permits relative movements, not possible under static conditions, between the foot member and the housing. Then, when the appliance is tilted, as mentioned above, the spring is left free to take up any slack.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A levelling means for an appliance comprising two front feet and two rear feet, one rear foot being of the type that adjusts itself automatically and the other having a fixed setting;.the two front feet being independent of each other and each containing means to adjust it vertically and an outwardly directed horizontal screw for operating said means and maintaining any given adjustment of that foot, and the screws having at their outer ends meansby which they may be turned.

2. A vertically adjustable foot structure including a bracket adapted to be attached to an appliance, a vertical stem extending slidably through said bracket, a spring positioned between the ends of thestem and connected at one end to the stern while its other end is engaged with the bracket to prevent the stem from falling out, a member engaged with the bracket and movable laterally with respect to both the bracket and the stern, cooperating cam surfaces on said member and said stem to cause the stem to be pressed down when said member is shifted in one direction, and a transverse screw extending through a ,part'of said member and forming an adjustable spacer between the same and the stem for shifting sa'idmernber in said-direction.

3. A foot structure as set forth in claim '2, wherein the movable cam member is mounted for sliding mov m'e'nts atright angles tothe stemr 4. A foot structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the movable cam member is mounted on the bracket for swinging movements through a small angle.

5. A foot structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the screw is in screwthreaded relation with the movable cam member and abuts against the stem.

6. A foot structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the screw extends loosely through a part on the movable cam member and is screwed into the stem.

7. A foot structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the cam surface on the stem is in a fixed position thereon and lies below the surface on the cam member with which it cooperates.

8. A vertically adjustable foot structure including a bracket member adapted to be attached to an appliance and having a U-shaped portion with its legs horizontal and one above the other, a vertical stem member extending slidably through said legs, a spring positioned between said legs and resting at one end on the lower leg while its upper end is secured to the stem member, a cam element movable laterally relatively to both members, cooperating cam surfaces for moving the stem member down, one of such surfaces being in a fixed position on one of said members and the other surface being on the movable cam element, and a screw extending through a part of the said cam element and engaging one of said members to form an adjustable spacer for moving said cam element in the direction to press the stem down.

9. A foot structure as set forth in claim 8, wherein the stern member has at the bottom a shoulder, the cam element is slidably supported on said shoulder with its cam surface facing upwardly, the cooperating cam surface being on the bracket member, and the screw passes loosely through the cam element and is screwed into the stem member.

10. In an automatic foot-adjusting unit, a floor contacting foot member U-shaped in vertical transverse section, with the upper edges of the legs of the U inclined relative to the floor contacting surface, an inverted upper U-shaped member attachable to an appliance to be supported and having the lower edges of the turned down legs inclined at the same angle as the upper edges of the legs of the floor engaging member, said U legs having interlocking runways slidably engaged to permit relative sliding movements between said members, and a spring connecting said members and urging the foot member downwardly along said runways.

11. An automatic adjusting unit as described in claim 10, wherein the angle of the runways is in the vicinity of 15 plus an increment offsetting the pull of the spring, so that the weight of the supported appliance will not affect the relative positions of the foot member and the supporting member except when the appliance is slid along the floor or is raised at the point of attachment of said unit to the appliance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 454,467 Foote June 23, 1891 1,006,974 Moore et al Oct. 24, 1911 2,384,020 Parson Sept. 4, 1945 2,546,651 OConnor Mar. 27, 1951 2,683,576 Miller July 13, 1954 2,779,559 Bertuch Jan. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 481,260 Canada Feb. 19, 1952 

